Top College Basketball Picks and Predictions Today (Fade Memphis, Oregon State and Indiana on Thursday)
Looking for some college basketball picks on Thursday night?
BetSided's Peter Dewey, Matt De Saro and Reed Wallach have you covered with breakdowns for several games, and here are three of their top predictions with all odds via WynnBET:
Maryland vs. Indiana Prediction and Pick
The Hoosiers are not only losing games straight up but haven’t covered once in February. But, their last cover was their 13 point win over Indiana to end January. It’s hard to ignore that last game but I think that Indiana is in a much better place than they were then. Meanwhile, I think the exact opposite of Maryland.
The Terps are riding a three-game ATS win streak and are 5-3 against the spread when playing on the road.
I'll admit that the Hoosiers defense does worry me when thinking of taking the underdog. The Hoosiers are a top 50 scoring defense and top 10 in opponent effective field goal percentage. But, their offense does a few things that I hate. This is especially true for Indiana’s free-throw shooting percentage of 68.3 which ranks them 283rd. They are also a very bad scoring offense in the second half with an average of 34.5 points per game or 275th in the league.
The Hoosiers also lose out in the rebounding battle. They give up a lot more turnovers and a ton more fouls. While the ML is tempting, I’m going to “play it safe” and take the Terps on the spread. Though I’ll probably sprinkle some on them straight up before tip-off.
Pick: Maryland +6.5 (-110) Lean: Maryland +225 to win -- Matt De Saro
Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE.
Temple vs. Memphis Prediction and Pick
Temple has done quite well punching above its weight class in AAC play this season, yet to lose a game by double digits this season.
The Owls haven't played Memphis this season, but they do profile nicely against their turnover driven defense. Temple is fourth in AAC in turnover percentage and also get to the free throw line at the highest rate in the conference. By slowing down this game and making it more of a half court matchup with plenty of stoppages, Aaron McKie's team can hang within this double digit spread.
The Tigers have played themselves back into the NCAA Tournament picture, behind their improved offense, but Temple has been playing elite defense over the past month, 21st in adjusted defensive efficiency, per barttorvik.com. This spread feels a bit wide for my like and I'll take the dog to keep it within single digits.
LEAN: Temple +11.5, play to +10.5 -- Reed Wallach
All of Reed's college basketball plays can be tracked here, his best bets column for college basketball is 67-64-3 for -0.44 units.
USC vs. Oregon State Prediction and Pick
Oregon State isn’t only one of the worst teams in the country straight up, but it is also horrendous against the spread this season, going 6-18-1.
Yikes.
However, the Trojans are just 4-9 against the spread when favored by double-digits this season, but I just really think we have to fade Oregon State at every possible turn. The Beavers already lost to USC by 10 in their first meeting this season.
Oregon State is 325th in the country in scoring margin, getting outscored by an average of 9.1 points per game this season. It’s also outside the top 300 in opponent points per game, effective field goal percentage and 3-pointers made per game.
Essentially, the Beavers are terrible on both sides of the ball, not ranking inside the top 100 in anything other than opponent blocks per game. This team straight up stinks.
There's no other choice than to back USC to cover, as Oregon State has been impossible to trust from a betting perspective all season.
Lean: USC -10 (-110)
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.